Department for Transport

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much public money has been spent on HS2 to date; how much is estimated to be spent in the next financial year; what is the estimated final cost to the public purse; and what is the projected completion date.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: To date (2009/10 – Dec 2015) the government has spent £1.4bn on the HS2 programme. The Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd are currently in the process of finalising their estimates for the next financial year (2016/17). The 2015 Spending Review reconfirmed the Government’s commitment to a long-term funding envelope for delivering the HS2 programme at £55.7bn in 2015 prices. Phase One and Phase 2a are scheduled to be complete by 2026 and the remainder of Phase Two is expected to be completed by 2034.

Bridges: Repairs and Maintenance

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on maintenance of (1) the Clifton Suspension Bridge, (2) the Tyne Bridge, and (3) the Severn Bridge, in the last five years.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is important to note that the bridges mentioned in the question are not maintained by the Department for Transport. Clifton Suspension Bridge is run by Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust, the Tyne Bridge is run by Newcastle City Council and the Severn Bridge is run on a concession by River Crossing PLC. However, I have been informed that the Tyne Bridge spent £58.016 million and the Severn Crossing spent £64.31 million on maintenance in the last 5 financial years. The department has not been given details for Clifton at this current time.

M20: Large Goods Vehicles

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in providing alternatives to Operation Stack in Kent in the event of further serious disruption to the operation of the channel ferries or the Channel Tunnel.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has listened to the communities and businesses of Kent and taken action to deal with the causes and effects of Operation Stack. In Autumn Statement 2015, the Chancellor announced up to £250m for an off-road lorry area. Highways England completed a public consultation on proposals on 26 January 2016 and is now carefully assessing all the responses. Subject to the outcome of this assessment, the Government intends to make public its next steps shortly. As an interim measure, the Government secured the use of a site at Manston in North Kent last summer. The Department for Transport and Highways England continue to work with Kent partners, including the county and district councils, emergency services, hauliers and ports to reduce the impact of Operation Stack on Kent should it need to be implemented.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Community Relations

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 28 January (HL5309), when Louise Casey's review into boosting opportunity and integration amongst isolated groups started work; what are its terms of reference; who is directing its work; what is the estimated cost of the review; when it is expected to report and to whom; and whether its findings will be made public.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Prime Minister commissioned Louise Casey CB to carry out a review of how to boost opportunity and integration in isolated and vulnerable communities in July 2015. She is considering issues including: how we can ensure people learn English; how we can improve academic and employment outcomes, especially for women; and how state agencies can work more effectively with these communities to promote integration and community cohesion. Louise will provide an interim report to the Prime Minister and it will be published shortly.

Cabinet Office

Thames Flood Barrier

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the future viability of the Thames Barrier will be considered as part of the National Flood Resilience Review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The viability of the Thames Barrier has been extensively reviewed, and conclusions were published in 2012. This Review will focus on updating our climate modelling and stress-testing the nation’s resilience to flood risk.We will make appropriate decisions on next steps using any new evidence that comes out of that work.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

UK Membership of EU

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the readiness of business leaders, and of businesses of every size and in every sector, to assess the pros and cons of the UK remaining a full member of the EU.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: No Assessment has been made.The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the UK - so we get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

English Language: Education

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether persons coming to live in the UK on spousal visas are entitled to make use of existing schemes of English language tuition provided through public funds; and on what terms.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Funding for english for speakers of other languages (ESOL) provision in England is normally restricted to people who have been resident in the UK or another EEA country for at least the previous 3 years on the first day of learning. For the 3-year residency rule not to apply to a person coming to live in the UK on a spousal visa, the spouse in the UK whom they are joining would have to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years. Full-funding is prioritised for people who are in receipt of certain work-related benefits and are mandated to undertake skills training to improve their English in order to find work. This is funded through a provider’s Adult Skills Budget. People on other state benefits who are unemployed and where poor English skills are a barrier to finding work, may still be eligible for full funding at the discretion of the training provider. All others can be co-funded but are expected to make a contribution towards the costs of training. Other opportunities to learn English on publicly-funded programmes include BIS supported community-ESOL programmes and DCLG community-based English language projects.

Skilled Workers: Vacancies

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take in response to the skill shortages and consequent unfilled vacancies highlighted in the UK Commission for Employment and Skills Survey 2015 published on 28 January.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We are investing in apprenticeships to meet identified skill needs across all sectors. We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 and will ensure they deliver the skills employers and the economy need for growth. We have also announced plans for ground-breaking reforms to technical and professional education, working in direct partnership with employers to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century. Together with creating 5 National Colleges, supporting a new network of Institutes of Technology and rolling out more degree and higher level apprenticeships, we are helping to equip people with the higher and technical level skills that are in demand. Our aim is for all local areas to take a leading role in skills provision to ensure it is responsive to local economic priorities and devolution deals with areas around the country are a big step towards this ambition so that they can secure the training and skills that local employers need.

Department for Education

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what strategy they have in place to increase retention of teachers in the profession.

Lord Nash: Teacher retention rates have remained stable for over a decade and the turnover rate in teaching is lower than for the economy as a whole. Approximately 90% of all teachers are still in service in the year after they qualify and 72% of those who qualified in 2009 were still in teaching five years later. Over 60 percent of teachers remain in service 10 years after qualifying.The Government recognises that it is vital for schools to be able to retain good teachers. That is why we have made policy interventions in areas such as improving pupil behaviour and reducing unnecessary workload.The Department has appointed behaviour expert Tom Bennett to lead a review to ensure new teachers are fully trained in managing behaviour in 21st century schools.Three groups have been established to address the biggest concerns that teachers raised in the workload challenge: marking, planning and data management. All three groups are due to report in Spring 2016 and the Department is commissioning a biennial survey to track teacher workload, starting in Spring 2016.

Teachers: Working Hours

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the number of hours a week worked by (1) teachers, and (2) school leaders.

Lord Nash: Removing unnecessary workload for teachers is a priority for this Government. On 6 February 2015, we published the response to our Workload Challenge alongside the findings in an independent research report. In response, a comprehensive programme was put in place to help address the complex issues raised. This included a commitment to continue to track teachers’ workload by carrying out a large scale survey every two years. This will start in spring 2016. Three review groups are also in progress to address the causes of unnecessary workload in relation to three of the biggest issues emerging from the Workload Challenge, namely: marking, planning, resources and data management. The groups will report to the Secretary of State in the spring of 2016 with principles for teaching practice and recommendations for the Department, schools and headteachers on how to eliminate unnecessary workload.Information on hours worked by teachers was collected in the 2013 Teaching and Learning International Study.

Sixth Form Education

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that regional schools commissioners are accountable for poor school sixth-form provision in their areas.

Lord Nash: Regional Schools Commissioners are accountable for monitoring the performance of school sixth-forms in their areas when they are part of an existing academy.Decisions regarding intervention action are informed by the academy’s performance against minimum standards, including the 16-19 minimum standards, and Ofsted judgements, as well as local intelligence.In the past few months, we have begun to review the post-16 education and training landscape through a programme of area reviews. Through these reviews, colleges, local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, and commissioners (RSCs, as well as FE and Sixth Form College Commissioners) scrutinise all local post-16 provision and are developing recommendations to secure high quality provision for students and employers which is delivered through a financially viable and resilient college sector.

Further Education: Rural Areas

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support is available for post-16 students in rural areas who have to travel long distances to attend the nearest further education or sixth form college.

Lord Nash: The statutory responsibility for financial and other support regarding transport to education and training for 16 to 19 year olds rests with local authorities, enabling them to make decisions which best match local needs and circumstances. Local authorities are expected to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure, and the resources they have available.Most young people, including those in rural areas, have access to discounts or concessions from their local authority or transport providers. Some young people are also supported by the 16-19 Bursary Fund, and some schools or colleges provide free or subsidised transport directly.The government also supports local bus travel, including in rural areas, through the Bus Service Operators Grant.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Visits

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 December 2015 (HL4639), what recent discussions they have had with the National Offender Management Service about bringing the guidance on Incentives and Earned Privileges schemes for men's prisons in line with the guidance for women's prisons set out in issue 297 of Prison Service Order 4800, which states that incentive schemes "should never be linked to any access to family visits".

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 December 2015 (HL4650), why children's visits to their fathers in prison continue to be part of Incentives and Earned Privileges schemes when children's visits to their mother in prison are excluded from such schemes under issue 297 of Prison Service Order 4800.

Baroness Howe of Idlicote: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 December 2015 (HL4641), what assessment they have made of the compatibility of restricting children's visits to their fathers in prison through the Incentives and Earned Privileges scheme with children's rights under (1) Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and (2) Article 9 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Lord Faulks: Men and women prisoners have the same entitlements to visits. Both are eligible to family days where relevant, in addition to the normal visits entitlement. Prisons should not treat men and women prisoners differently with respect to visits solely on the basis of their gender.

The Lord Chairman of Committees

House of Lords: Bicycles

Baroness Whitaker: To ask the Chairman of Committees whether the House will provide further bicycle parking spaces, and if so, when.

Lord Laming: The House of Lords currently has 47 covered bicycle parking spaces in State Officers’ Court, 12 spaces in Chancellor’s Court and six spaces in Black Rod’s Garden. The House keeps opportunities to increase the number of spaces under review, and following completion of works on the Cast Iron Roofs and Chancellor’s Court, will consider again the provision of further bicycle parking spaces.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Employment: Electronic Surveillance

Lord Chadlington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the European Court of Human Rights ruling on 12 January in Barbulescu v Romania on an employer's right to access an employee's private emails in the UK.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has made no assessment of the judgment The case raises the important question of whether the Applicant had a reasonable expectation that his communications would not be monitored; and could reasonably expect privacy when communicating from the Yahoo Messenger account that he had registered at his employer's request, and where there was a strict company policy prohibiting use of work systems for personal purposes. The Applicant alleged interference with his article 8 rights and that the interference was not foreseeable or proportionate. But the Court held that there was nothing to indicate that the domestic authorities failed to strike a fair balance between the applicant’s right to respect for his private life under Article 8 and his employer’s interests, and that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the Convention. The attached ICO's employment practices code sets out guidance in relation to workplace monitoring. The code is already clear that employers should have policies in place explaining how they expect their IT systems to be used, including setting out the extent to which, if any, the IT system can be used for personal use. Even where no such policy is in place, it is reasonable in certain circumstances for employers to monitor an employee’s use of the IT systems to ensure compliance with any policy or to ensure that employees are not abusing the use of the system. Such monitoring may include accessing non-work communications but this should only be done in exceptional circumstances.



ICO Employment Code 
(PDF Document, 711.14 KB)

Broadband

Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the efficacy of the rollout of high speed broadband, and when they expect the rollout to be completed.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Broadband Delivery UK’s (BDUK) Superfast Broadband Programme remains on track to achieve 90% superfast broadband coverage within the next few months, and 95% by December 2017. The programme has provided coverage to more than 3.5 million homes and businesses across the UK that would otherwise not have it, and will reach 4 million by spring 2016.

Openreach

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to BT regarding the case for selling Openreach.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: This is a matter for the independent telecoms regulator, Ofcom, who is currently reviewing the markets for digital communications in the UK and is due to report at the end of this month. Government has made no representations.

Ministry of Defence

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate has been made of the total cost of recruiting new reservists to the armed forces.

Earl Howe: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.For information on the costs of television recruitment campaigns for both Regular and Reserve Armed Forces personnel, I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, in the House of Commons on 10 December 2015 to Questions 18990, 18877 and 18991.http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-12-07/18990/The additional costs of recruitment associated with the growth of the Reserves are all factored into the Future Reserves 2020 programme. Defence is investing an additional £1.8 billion in the Reserves over 10 years.



18990-QnA extract on Navy Recruitment
(Word Document, 16.1 KB)

Reserve Forces: Discharges

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial arrangements are in place to support reservists upon leaving (1) the army, (2) the Royal Navy, and (3) the Royal Air Force, and what is the total cost of those arrangements.

Earl Howe: From 1 April 2015 Reserve personnel have had access to the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15), unless covered by Transitional Protection in an existing scheme. For the first time, pay received for Man Training Days is pensionable. This represents an increase in the overall package for Reserves and one that aligns the structure of Reservists' remuneration more closely with that of Regulars. In common with all Service personnel, Reservists qualify for pension benefits under AFPS 15 after completing the mandatory vesting period of two calendar years and pension benefits are based on the average pensionable pay received from the date of joining the scheme. Other main features of the scheme are ill-health pensions, dependants' benefits and death-in-service benefits. Any benefits built up in a legacy pension scheme prior to 1 April 2015 are protected. As with other unfunded public sector pension schemes the Ministry of Defence's contribution to meet the cost of these pensions is calculated by the Superannuation Charges Adjusted for Past Experience (SCAPE) mechanism - this is expressed as a percentage of the pay bill and following the last valuation is set at 50.4%.

Reserve Forces: Training

Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is spent annually on training reservists in (1) the army, (2) the Royal Navy, and (3) the Royal Air Force.

Earl Howe: The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Police

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reserve police officers of the Royal Military Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Earl Howe: The Army does not produce forecasts for Army Reserve personnel by Cap Badge. As at 1 April 2015, the number of Royal Military Police (RMP) Reserve personnel trained or in training was 370. The future liability for RMP Reserve personnel for 2016-17 to 2019-20 is 453.

Military Police

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers of the Royal Military Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Earl Howe: The number of Regular personnel in the Royal Military Police (RMP) as at 1 April 2015 was 1,610. The forecast of Regular personnel in the RMP is as follows: April 2016April 2017April 2018April 2019April 20201,6001,6001,6101,6001,580 The number of Regular personnel expected to complete their basic training and join the RMP are as follows: 2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20140120140120110 All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy; therefore totals may not equal the sum of their parts. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in five rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias.

Royal Navy Police

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reserve police officers of the Royal Navy Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers of the Royal Navy Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Earl Howe: The number of Regular personnel in the Royal Navy Police (RNP) as at 1 April 2015 was 250 Royal Navy and 50 Royal Marines. The Maritime Reserve does not have a Police branch. The forecast of Regular personnel in the RNP is as follows:  April 2016April 2017April 2018April 2019April 2020Royal Navy250250250250240Royal Marines5050505050Notes:1. Figures from April 2016 are estimates, calculated using 1 April 2015 information, of the future trained regular strength of RNP. Estimates are re-calculated annually using the latest information and therefore may change in future years.2. All totals are rounded in accordance with the Defence Statistics rounding policy. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 10 with numbers ending in five rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid bias. The RNP does not currently recruit from direct entrants; personnel transfer from within the Naval Service. There is a future programme to recruit from a mixture of internal moves and direct entrants; however, it is not possible at present to supply forecast figures for this.

RAF Police

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reserve police officers of the Royal Air Force Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Earl Howe: As at December 2015, the strength of the Royal Air Force Police Reserve, trained or in training, was 150. The liability for the Royal Air Force Police Reserve is 200 for the financial years 2015-2016 to 2019-2020 inclusive.

RAF Police

Baroness Jolly: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers of the Royal Air Force Police they estimate will be deployed in (1) 2015–16, (2) 2016–17, (3) 2017–18, (4) 2018–19, and (5) 2019–20.

Earl Howe: The number of Regular Royal Air Force Police at 1 December 2015 was 1,150. The forecast of Regular Royal Air Force Police in future years is shown below: Regular Royal Air Force PoliceFinancial Year2016-172017-182018-192019-20Forecast of personnel1,1401,1601,2101,250 Regular personnel in Training at 1 December 2015 was 121. The forecast of Regular personnel expected to complete their training and join the Royal Air Force Police in future years is shown below: Regular personnel in trainingFinancial Year2016-172017-182018-192019-20Forecast 100100100100 The liability for the Regular Royal Air Force Police is as follows: Regular Royal Air Force PoliceFinancial Year2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20Liability1,1901,2101,2301,2201,280

Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been received from the sale of former military sites and bases in Northern Ireland to date.

Earl Howe: Since 2005 the Ministry of Defence has received around £117 million in disposal receipts from the sale of surplus sites in Northern Ireland.All transactions were carried out in accordance with the Hillsborough Agreement.Over the same period, the Department gifted four bases to the Northern Ireland Executive with an estimated total combined value of £21 million. As outlined in a Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS509) released on 4 February 2016, there is also intent to gift an additional 59 surplus Service Family Accommodation units to the Northern Ireland Executive, with a combined value of £3.5 million.



WMS on Gifting Accommodation to NI Executive
(Word Document, 14.28 KB)

Home Office

Undocumented Migrants: Deportation

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average cost of deporting a person deemed to be an illegal immigrant.

Lord Bates: The Home Office has published information on the average cost of detention and removal but this is not broken down by initial application type, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/costs-involved-in-detaining-and-removing-illegal-migrants

Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation

Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Bates: The costs to the Government for the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation since 2011 are set out below:2011-2012: £213,1002012-2013: £201,7002013-2014: £213,1002014-2015: £270,000 (plus an additional £350,800 for the statutory Investigatory Powers Review, as required by section 7 of the Data Protection and Investigatory Powers Act 2014)2015-2016 (to the half year point in September): £135,800It is not possible to provide an accurate breakdown of the Independent Reviewer’s costs prior to 2011.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Police and Crime Commissioners who are unsuccessful in seeking re-election in May will receive financial support from the public purse, as is the case with MPs who are unsuccessful in a General Election; and if so, how much.

Lord Bates: Police and Crime Commissioners who are unsuccessful in seeking re-election in May will not receive any direct financial payment from the public purse as a result. Police and Crime Commissioners are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme and those that have done so may be able to access money paid into that scheme in line with its rules.

HM Treasury

VAT: Fraud

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received evidence of VAT fraud in the London souvenir and gift trade, and if so, what action they have taken to combat it.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receive a variety of data and intelligence from numerous sources. Everything from bulk data from third parties to information provided by individuals through the Tax and Customs Evasion Hotlines. Clamping down on those who try to cheat the system through evading taxes and over claiming benefits is a key priority for HMRC, and they are committed to ensuring the tax system operates fairly and efficiently. All the information HMRC receive is risk-assessed and a decision made on the most appropriate course of action. Data and intelligence received could include information relating to the London souvenir and gift trade. However, there is strict law of confidentiality covering all the work for which HMRC are responsible. The relevant law is Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue & Customs Act 2005, which strictly limits the circumstances under which they disclose information they hold and any action taken. This prohibits HMRC from giving specific details of any information received regarding any sector.

VAT: Fraud

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to carry out an inquiry into VAT fraud in the London souvenir and gift trade.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are committed to tackling tax avoidance, evasion and fraud at all levels to ensure everyone pays the right tax at the right time. HMRC introduced a series of taskforces in 2011 to target specific high risk sectors in certain locations. There are currently no plans for a taskforce dedicated to the London souvenir and gift trade, although that does not mean that HMRC takes no action against fraud in this sector. Other, existing taskforces – for example those focusing on London retail, indoor and outdoor markets, and VAT repayments – will have an impact on the sector. Additionally, the sector will be impacted through HMRC’s normal intelligence- and data-led way of identifying and addressing tax risks.

Credit: Insurance

Lord Darling of Roulanish: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of payment protection insurance payments made since 2010.

Lord Darling of Roulanish: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact of payment protection insurance payments made since 2010 on UK gross domestic product.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The most recent figures available from the FCA show that a total of £393.8m was paid in November 2015 to customers who complained about the way they were sold PPI. This takes the amount paid out since January 2011 to £22.2bn. The most recent analysis of the impact on GDP is the Office for Budget Responsibility’s 2012 Economic and Fiscal Outlook report, which stated that its economic growth forecast of 0.8% over 2 years would be mainly due to the impact of PPI fee repayments.

Financial Services: Advisory Services

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken towards establishing a UK-wide financial advice service.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government set up the Money Advice Service in 2010 to enhance consumers’ understanding of their finances. Pension Wise was launched in April 2015 to help people with their defined contribution pensions. The Public Financial Guidance consultation is currently exploring how the current statutory arrangements for the provision of free and impartial financial guidance can be made more effective for consumers. The Government also launched the Financial Advice Market Review, which aims to make sure that people can access high quality, affordable professional advice to help them make informed financial decisions. FAMR and the Public Financial Guidance Consultation will report back around Budget 2016.

Assets: North Korea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 26 January (HL4928), whether any assets linked to North Korean individuals or organisations that are not associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear programmes are held in the UK; and what steps they are taking to freeze assets held by individuals or organisations that are not associated with the DPRK nuclear programme that they suspect to be linked to weapons proliferation, smuggling, money laundering, or human rights abuses in North Korea.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Existing UN and EU sanctions against North Korea, which include measures such as asset freezes, are based upon UN Security Council Resolutions prohibiting the further development of North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Therefore, the current requirement to freeze funds or economic resources only occurs in circumstances where the funds and economic resources are controlled by the persons and entities designated by the Sanctions committee, the Security Council or the EU council as being engaged in North Korea’s nuclear-related, ballistic missile related, or other weapons of mass destruction-related programmes. The UK is currently discussing a response to the nuclear test of 6 January with key allies and partners. We want the response to be robust and send North Korea a clear signal that it must change its approach to international peace and security, We are also using our position as a member of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to discuss ways in which the international community can increase the pressure on North Korea to improve its appalling human rights record. North Korea will be discussed during the forthcoming March session of the HRC.

Tourism

Lord Fearn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate, as a percentage of gross domestic product, of the economic importance of tourism to (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland, in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The latest Quarterly National Accounts (ONS) show that net household expenditure on tourism was 0.5% of UK gross domestic product in 2014. The first estimate of 2015 net tourism will be published by the ONS 31st March 2016. The ONS do not publish a breakdown of net tourism by England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Shares: Sales

Lord Vinson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 27 January (HL4999), when the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) last monitored or audited the procedures that require institutions explicitly to set out that they may lend shares on behalf of investors for the purpose of short selling; and what assessment they or the FCA have made of whether beneficial owners of shares are fully aware of the consequences to them of their shares being lent for short selling.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: This is an operational matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are operationally independent from Government. The question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply directly to the Noble Lord by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Northern Ireland Office

British Irish Intergovernmental Conference

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 1 July 2015 (HL811), on what dates the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference has discussed human rights; what specific topics were discussed; who attended those meetings; and what actions were taken as a result.

Lord Dunlop: Article 2 of The Belfast Agreement made provision for the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference (BIIGC). The BIIGC last met in 2007.

Department of Health

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has made of recent research suggesting that the eggs of older women can be rejuvenated through injections of mitochondria from other cells; what data collected from clinics the HFEA holds regarding the incidence of aneuploidy in oocytes over time, and what evidence it has received from (1) OvaScience, (2) Professor Simon Fishel, and (3) other sources, that mitochondrial defects are primarily responsible for age-related exponential increases in oocyte aneuploidy; what published randomised trials the HFEA has been made aware of regarding the Augment technique, and what assessment it has made of those trials; and what assessment the HFEA has made of the credibility of claims by OvaScience and those previously made by Clonaid, in the light of data available in peer-reviewed journals.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the proposed protocols for (1) detection of aneuploidy in embryos following application of the proposed Augment technique, and (2) demonstrating that injected mitochondria either disperse so as to be equally inherited by each blastomere of any resulting embryos or are concentrated in the inner cell mass, in the recent application received by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) for a pilot trial in the UK; what estimate the HFEA has been provided regarding (1) the likely financial costs to patients undergoing the proposed Augment procedure, and (2) the potential impact on clinical pregnancy rates of any assessments deemed to be scientifically necessary; and what assessment the HFEA has made of the ruling by the US Food and Drugs Administration in 2013 that Augment is a novel drug in need of extensive and expensive safety testing.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) advises that it does not hold data from clinics on the incidence of aneuploidy in oocytes over time, nor has it received evidence from OvaScience, Professor Simon Fishel or other sources that mitochondrial defects are primarily responsible for age-related increases in oocyte chromosomal aneuploidy. The HFEA also advises that it has not been made aware of any published randomised trials regarding the Augment technique and has not made an assessment of the credibility of claims by OvaScience and those previously made by Clonaid, in the light of data available in peer-reviewed journals. It is currently considering whether techniques, which involve addition of autologous mitochondria to eggs, would be legal in the United Kingdom (under the framework of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended). Part of this consideration involves considering the claims made for Augment by Ovascience. The HFEA has not received any formal applications for clinical use of the Augment technique, and has not made an assessment of the ruling by the US Food and Drugs Administration to which the Noble Lord refers.

Screening: Prisoners

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prisoners have been tested for (1) hepatitis B, (2) hepatitis C, and (3) HIV, in each of the last three years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) collects data on people in prison tested for blood-borne viruses (BBVs) via the Sentinel Surveillance Study. This system does not currently receive reports from all prisons in England where testing occurs. Currently 28 prisons report data representing approximately 30% of the standing prison population in England so this data does not represent the total amount of testing currently happening in the prison estate. Table 1 shows data from this system on the total number of prisoners tested for BBVs in the calendar years 2012-2014. Similar information from this study for the year 2015 will not be available until mid-year 2016. NHS England also collects data on levels of testing for BBVs in prisons via the Health & Justice Indicators of Performance (HJIPs). The numbers of tests for BBVs in these data are presented in Table 2. The higher number is due to the greater coverage of prisons by this dataset. NHS England data is not used for 2012, 2013 and 2014 is not available because HJIPs were only introduced last year. 



Table 1 and Table 2 HL5469
(Word Document, 14.22 KB)

Screening: Prisoners

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of prisoners they plan to test for blood-borne viruses in each of the next five years, in the light of the introduction of opt-out testing in prisons.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England (PHE) working in partnership with NHS England and the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) have been implementing opt-out testing for blood-borne viruses (BBVs) since 2013/14 through a phased implementation programme using ‘pathfinder prisons’ with plans for the programme to be available in every adult prison in England by the end of financial year 2016/17. All consenting eligible adult prisoners will be offered the opportunity to test. Prisoners eligible for testing include those not known to be infected with BBVs who have not been tested recently and/or who had risk behaviour since their last test. Therefore over the next five years and beyond, we plan to offer tests for BBVs to all adult prisoners who fall into these categories. Phased implementation of the BBV opt-out testing programme in prisons has been informed by evaluation of pathfinder prisons. Preliminary data from suggests a near doubling of BBV testing following the introduction of the opt-out testing policy. Offer, uptake and outcome of testing is being collected by both the Health & Justice Indicators of Performance at prison level as well as through PHE’s sentinel surveillance study.

Hepatitis: Prisoners

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals have commenced interferon-free treatment for hepatitis C within a prison or secure institution in the last 12 months.

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of individuals diagnosed with hepatitis C within prison who will commence treatment (1) within prison, and (2) upon release.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England collect data on the offer, uptake and outcome of testing for hepatitis C for people in prison using a system of metrics co-designed with Public Health England (PHE) called the Health & Justice Indicators of Performance (HJIPs). This dataset includes information on whether those requiring treatment were referred to specialist services but does not record details of the treatment provided. PHE has been working with NHS England and Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) and others on a dataset which would allow for more detailed monitoring of treatments but these have not yet been introduced. Therefore, we do not currently have any data on the number of individuals commenced on treatment for hepatitis C within a prison or other prescribed place of detention in the last 12 months. Further, we do not have data on those former prisoners commenced on treatment in the community.

Hepatitis: Prisoners

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether new Operational Delivery Networks established to manage the treatment of hepatitis C have a duty to ensure equity of access to treatment for prisoners within their catchment area.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has published the service specification for Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs). The specification directs that ODNs include organisations and providers engaging with populations known to have a high prevalence of infection, such as prisoners, with the view to developing services designed to meet their specific needs. Further, the specification directs that specialist service providers will accept inward referrals of patients for treatment from prisons and other prescribed places of detention. NHS England has worked with each of the ODNs to map every prison to the relevant network and ensure that people in prison are being supported to access treatment.

Viral Diseases: Offenders

Lord Dholakia: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what health and social support is in place upon their release for individuals who are diagnosed with blood-borne virus while in prison or a secure institution.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England, Public Health England (PHE) and the National Offender Management Service in their National Partnership Agreement have committed to support continuity of care for patients on transfer from custody to the community. This includes people diagnosed with blood-borne viruses (BBVs). The needs of such individuals will vary depending on the infection and whether they are receiving or need to receive treatment as well as the nature of the treatment itself. Ensuring patients leaving prison are registered with a general practitioner (GP) in the community is a key component of ensuring ongoing primary and specialist care. GPs are provided with a care summary record when the patient is discharged from prison. Patients are further supported by probation services, including Community Rehabilitation Companies who begin work ‘through the gate’ to support people leaving prisons in accessing accommodation, employment, welfare payments and education. PHE, the National Offender Management Service and NHS England published their Second National Partnership Agreement published in 2015. The scope of work described in the agreement includes “continuity of care through the prison gate into the community". A copy of the report has been attached.



National Partnership Agreement 2015-16
(PDF Document, 294.81 KB)

Lyme Disease

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how long it would take for research-led treatment to eradicate Lyme disease from the UK if resource provision were no issue.

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many people in the UK have Lyme disease.

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how much money would be needed to eradicate Lyme disease from the UK.

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which medical institutions in the UK are in the forefront of research into, and treatment of, Lyme disease.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is not practical to eradicate Lyme disease in the United Kingdom through treatment of human cases, therefore no cost estimate has been made. The disease is endemic in much of the small mammal and bird population in the UK, and is spread to humans by the bite of infected ticks which have fed on these animals. The number of human cases can be reduced by raising public awareness of how to avoid tick bites, and by environmental measures in public places to reduce the long grass and scrub which harbour ticks. The number of laboratory confirmed cases of Lyme disease in England and Wales varies annually, in 2013 there were 878 and in 2014 there were 730, but the majority of diagnoses are made clinically by general practitioners and those figures are not recorded. Patients with late or complicated Lyme disease may be diagnosed in a variety of specialist clinics, and the numbers are not recorded. Based on the clinical information supplied with the laboratory request, only a small proportion of the annual number of cases fall into this category. The Health Protection Research Unit of the University of Liverpool in partnership with Public Health England (PHE) has funding from the National Institute of Health Research for research into Lyme disease, covering diagnostics and biomarkers and public awareness. PHE is working on clinically linked studies for diagnostics with the Czech Republic, as no single centre in the UK has sufficient patients for a suitable study; funding for this work is not yet in place. PHE undertakes limited studies on ticks and Lyme disease in the UK. The Research Councils fund some additional work on ticks and the environment.

Mental Illness: Health Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are supporting and promoting the #itaffectsme campaign, which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues and their prevalence.

Lord Prior of Brampton: This Government is working to reduce stigma around mental health and supports all campaigns, including #itaffectsme, in this area. Any campaign, such as #itaffectsme, which raises awareness in mental health issues, is welcomed. In his speech announcing almost a billion pounds in investment into mental health services on 11 January, the Prime Minister recognised the need to reduce the stigma around mental illness. He said that, ‘as a country, we need to be far more mature about this. Less hushed tones, less whispering; more frank and open discussion. We need to take away that shame, that embarrassment, let people know that they’re not in this alone’. We continue to provide financial support to the Time to Change programme which works to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and to encourage people to talk about mental health issues and seek help when needed. We are working with the programme and funders to develop the next stage of the programme.

Action on Smoking and Health

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Prior of Brampton on 21 December 2015 (HL4603 and HL4606), whether they plan to investigate the activities of the group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in providing the secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health and the use of public grants for lobbying activities in the light of the fact that the Department of Health has received 90 items of correspondence from the APPG originating from a postal or email address belonging to ASH in the last five years.

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each year in which a grant was provided to the group Action on Smoking and Health, how much (1) was spent against the original grant, (2) constituted underspend, and (3) was returned to the Department of Health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The conditions applicable to grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are set out in the grant award letters. The Department has made clear that none of this funding is to be used for lobbying purposes. The Section 64 grant must be spent in delivering the the agreed project outputs set out in the grant award letter and it does not fund secretariat support for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health. ASH’s compliance with the conditions of the grant is assessed at the grant monitoring meetings held between the Deputy Director of tobacco control and representatives from ASH as well as in the final full year grant monitoring and governance reports. The Department is required to retain information relating to Section 64 grants for six years. The full amount of the grant was spent for each year that a grant was provided to ASH in the past six years.

Sugar: Taxation

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the support from a range of health organisations, including the World Health Organization, they plan to reconsider a sugar tax as a part of the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy.

Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of evidence and support, nationally and internationally, for a sugar tax as an element of tackling obesity, and why they do not support such a tax.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As part of its review to identify possible actions to reduce sugar intakes and inform the Government’s thinking on sugar, Public Health England considered the current evidence around fiscal measures such as a tax on sugary foods and drinks. We are considering this alongside other evidence as we develop our childhood obesity strategy which will be launched shortly. It will look at everything, including sugar, that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will also set out what more can be done by all sides.

Antenatal Care

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes have taken place in the last two years to improve the measurement of babies in the final stages of pregnancy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Fetal growth restriction is widely recognised as a major determinant of stillbirth. Knowledge to inform the effective identification and management of these babies continues to grow, particularly around what constitutes ‘normal’ growth for each baby. We are advised by NHS England that it is developing the Saving Babies’ Lives “care bundle”. This is a package of measures which includes a recommendation to improve the detection of growth restricted babies. This includes use of a growth chart to plot fundal height (the distance from the maternal pelvis to the top of the growing womb) and estimated fetal weight, both measures to estimate a baby’s growth. The recommendation is also designed to tackle variable practice amongst clinicians in carrying out measurements. We understand this will be published as a guidance document later in 2016 and will be followed by an implementation toolkit. The care bundle is now being voluntarily implemented by maternity care providers while its recommendations are tested, formally evaluated in practice and refined over time and in the light of new evidence.